Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of automated oral solid pharmaceutical packaging mechanisms for packaging oral solid pharmaceuticals in packages in accordance with patient prescription information. More specifically, the present invention is directed to systems and methods for automatically verifying placement of oral solid pharmaceuticals within packaging according to patient prescription data. A variety of systems and methods are disclosed which provide rapid and efficient verification of oral solid pharmaceutical product placement within packaging in accordance with patient prescription data. The systems and methods which are described below provide multiple independent verifications within a single piece of automation that ensure absolute confidence that the placement of oral solid pharmaceuticals within packaging strictly matches patient prescription dosing information.
Description of the Related Art
Currently, various automated packaging systems exist for placing oral solid pharmaceuticals into packaging solutions which correlate individual dosing times with patient prescription dated. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,831,773 and 7,185,476 which are incorporated herein by reference. These issued patents describe systems that are capable of placing one or more oral solid pharmaceutical products into package cavities that correspond to patient prescription data and are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. While the existing solutions describe various systems that are capable of rapidly and efficiently placing oral solid pharmaceuticals into packages, there remains a need in the art for ensuring that the oral solid pharmaceuticals have been precisely placed into the packages according to the patient prescription data with absolute confidence and within a single system. Currently there are no systems available that provide automatic verification that oral solid pharmaceutical packaging has been filled precisely according to patient prescription data within a single system and blister carded packaging. Accordingly, there remains a need in the field for systems and methods that are capable of ensuring that oral solid pharmaceuticals have been placed strictly in accordance with predetermined patient prescription data within a single system and in blister carded packaging.
The conventional approach to solving this issue requires that a trained technician or pharmacist review the packaged pharmaceuticals in order to ensure that the oral solid pharmaceutical products have been properly placed within the packaging material. The conventional approach is prone to errors and significant delays associated with the manual review process. Applicants' innovation that is set forth below overcomes these deficiencies of existing systems and obviates the need for post packaging quality review. Applicants' unique use and arrangement of various sensors ensures that the oral solid pharmaceuticals have been packaged properly.